JD(U) removes Sharad Yadav's confidante Arun Shrivastav as general secy

The Janata Dal (United) on Tuesday removed Arun Shrivastav from the post of party general secretary for "unauthorisedly" writing to the Returning Officer of Gujarat Assembly appointing an election agent for the crucial Rajya Sabha election there.

A letter to this effect was served to Srivastav by party secretary general K C Tyagi.

"The party president (Nitish Kumar) has taken a serious note of the issue and has relieved you of your responsibility from the post of general secretary," Tyagi said in his letter to Srivastav, considered a close confidante of senior party leader Sharad Yadav.

"The act of yours not only amounts to anti-party activity, breach of discipline but is also treachery," Tyagi said in the letter.

The lone JD(U) MLA in Gujarat, Chhotu Vasava, today claimed he voted for Congress' nominee Ahmed Patel in the Rajya Sabha polls as the ruling BJP has done little for the tribal people and the poor.

The JD(U) MLA's claim of voting for the Congress nominee comes at a time when the party has forged ties with the BJP in Bihar to form government.

Tyagi showed a letter of JD(U) president Nitish Kumar written to the Returning Officer of Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat authorising only Tyagi to appoint authorised agent and to take all steps in Rajya Sabha elections for the three seats held today.

But, Srivastav wrote to the Returning Officer of Gujarat Legislature "unauthorisedly", it said.